DESCRIPTION (Taken from application) The Midwest Consortium proposes to continue to serve the needs of workers who may be exposed to hazardous materials while performing jobs covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard in eight states of the Midwest (IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, OH, TN, WI). The proposed training program builds on a twelve-year history of training supported by NIEHS. Workers who have completed consortium programs have significantly increased levels of knowledge, retained that knowledge over time, and applied their training to the workplace. Continued training is required because of high needs in the region served by the consortium, and to provide training for groups who are underserved. The specific aims of this application are to serve the continuing needs of the region through interactive, hands-on training developed to meet the needs of adult learners employed in jobs covered by HAZWOPER; to document the change in and retention of knowledge and skills as a result of training; to evaluate the impact of training and residents after return to the workplace; to expand the Partnership Program to train trainers in communities where hazardous materials exposures may occur; and to fully integrate advanced training technologies into program content and delivery. These specific aims will be achieved through established working relationships that have resulted in the development of 13 initial and refresher training programs since 1987 and direct delivery of 839,264 hours of training to 55,207 Midwest workers. Through community programs, trainers have received information to share with citizens, more than 300 citizens have attended workshops and 11 Detroiters are now employed after successfully completing the 40-hour program. In the new funding period 2,257 training programs will be delivered to 31,870 workers; 447,971 contact hours will be delivered. 870 community programs will be delivered to 6,342 trainees.